Diving with a cleft palate ?

[agathed]

Hello to everybody !
I am a 20 year old french student currently doing my semester-abroad in Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean famous for being a good scuba diving spot, so of course I wanted to try scuba diving, which seems to be an awesome sport! I've been used to snorkeling a lot when I was younger and that I lived next to the french mediterranean coast, but at that time I was too scared to try scuba diving.
However, now that I want to try, everybody says it would be dangerous because of my cleft palate (when I say 'everybody' I mean friends and family, I haven't consulted any medical opinion yet). I was born with a cleft palate (bilateral), I suffered from a lot of ear infections when I was a child, and I sometimes got asthma (I'm actually asthmatic again now that I'm in malta, because of allergies and humidity). I am quite active, can jog, box and dance without being out of breath even here in Malta.
Anyway, would it be suicidal to try scuba diving ? Do you know anyone with a cleft palate that did it without any trouble ?
Thank you for anyone answering

 

[grf88]

Here is a response from DAN Europe to a similar question:
Cleft palate
Question:
My brother was born with a double hare lip and cleft pallet, he is now 39 years old. He is visiting me over Christmas and I would like to take him for a test dive in our club pool.
He seems to think that it is not allowed but I would like an answer from medical people with diving knowledge.

Answer:
Unrepaired Cleft Palate is a contraindication to scuba diving.
Repaired Cleft Palate presents some points to consider:
It is frequently associated with hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the Eustachian Tube and even after surgical correction of thepalate, the tubal dysfunction can persist.
The teeth can be crowded and deformed, and can interfere with easy retention of the regulator mouthpiece Eustachian Tube function and the ability to hold a regulator firmly in the mouth must be assured prior to consider undertaking scuba diving.
If Eustachian Tube function and mouth grip on the mouthpiece are normal, there would seem to be no significant contraindication to diving.

You may wish to contact them directly

 

[tdchandl]

Is a full face mask integrated regulator 2nd stage not an option in this case? Would be more expensive but might open up the possibilities.

 

[Ste Wart]

A lad at the local dive shop has a cleft palate and dives quite regularly. However in the UK, all divers are required to have a medical prior to diving courses if they have contra-indications on the medical form.

Best bet is to go to one of the local dive shops. I always recommend the shop I used to work for Welcome to Buddies Malta 5* IDC Centre in the Heart of Bugibba & a short walk from Qawra in St Pauls Bay - For ALL your Scuba Diving needs and have a chat with the owners Martin or Karen. They can probably organise a Discover Scuba Dive and recommend a Dr prior to diving.